As the Countess Olivia well knows, “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ‘em”; the question is, how will Shakespeare in the Park’s 2009 production of Twelfth Night measure up?

It may be tempting to propose that as one of Shakespeare’s most popular and ubiquitously pleasing comedies, one which comprises all the classic elements of the genre – cross-dressing, mistaken identities, elaborate scenes of wooing, witty repartee – Twelfth Night cannot disappoint. Yet having suffered through numerous productions both in New York and the UK which no doubt had the Bard turning in his grave at dizzying speeds, I can assure naà¯ve theater aficionados that even the epitomes of dramatic art can be mercilessly “re-interpreted” to their great disadvantage. So it is with great anticipation and some degree of trepidation that I await Anne Hathaway’s performance as Viola, leading a seasoned troupe of Broadway actors in this version of “a very midsummer madness”.

Tickets are available free on the day of performance from the Central Park Summerstage box office, or online at http://www.publictheater.org. Guaranteed full-season tickets can be purchased for $170.